MARGAO
It’s exactly a month now, and the Colva police seemed to grope in the dark investigating the death of the Jaipur tourist due to electrocution at Colva beach in mid-July.
Otherwise, consider this. The post-mortem examination of the body revealed that the middle-aged tourist had died due to electrocution.
That’s not all. Inspection of the electrocution site at Colva beach by the power department officials also revealed that the insulation sleeve of the phase wire of aluminium cable was found damaged and was touching the internal metal body of the lamp pole. The inspection report was categorical in saying that the damage to the insulation sleeve of the phase wire might have caused leakage in current to pass through the earthing wire, where the victim is suspected to have come in contact and got electrocuted.
The report stated: “Upon detailed inspection, it was noted that, on one of the decorative lamp posts (5th pole from the left-hand side facing the beach), the insulation sleeve of a phase wire of aluminium cable was found damaged and was touching the internal metal body of pole which might have caused leakage current to pass through earthing wire where the victim is suspected to have come in contact and got electrocuted.”
The Colva police is still investigating the matter as a case of unnatural death, with the men-in-uniform yet to zero in on the people responsible for negligence, if any, behind the death of the Jaipur tourist.
As many as three Police Officers, PI Tulsidas Naik, PI Tukaram Chawan and now PI Filomena Costa, have been presiding over the case over the last one month. Strange it may seem, but true that investigations into the case have not been taken to its logical conclusion to date.
After the electrocution incident claimed the life of the tourist, Tourism officials have since lifted away the lamp posts for reasons best known to the department.
When The Goan had called up PI Filomena Costa sometime ago to shed light on investigations into the death of the tourist, the Colva police station in-charge had informed that the IO has sought certain details from the Tourism department as part of the probe.
Incidentally, when PI Costa was contacted on Tuesday to shed light on the investigations given that a month has passed since the tragedy, he said: “The Tourism department has replied to the queries posed by the police. However, we have asked for further information from the Tourism department”.
PI Costa said that investigations into the case are continuing and the police will act based on the information furnished by the Tourism department.
Locals had blamed the Tourism department for the shoddy execution of the beautification works and demanded action against the guilty and payment of compensation to the family of the deceased.
In fact, terming the death of the tourist a case of negligence of the authorities, Colva-based social activist Judith Almeida then demanded that accountability has to be fixed by filing an FIR against the officials of the tourism/GTDC departments.
She also demanded that the consultant/ contractor who has carried out the works have to also be made liable, claiming there has to be a guarantee period after crores of rupees spent from the exchequer.
